“Two theories have been proposed to explain the oral transmission of early Buddhist literature. Some scholars have argued that the early literature was not rigidly fixed because it was improvised in recitation, whereas others have claimed that word for word accuracy was required when it was recited. This paper examines these different theories and shows that the internal evidence of the Pāli canon supports the theory of a relatively fixed oral transmission of the early Buddhist literature.”

Edit: Public access to this document is now available without subscription at The Oxford Centre for Buddhist Studies linked above.

Last edited by ancientbuddhism on Wed Jul 18, 2012 8:02 am, edited 3 times in total.

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